St. Maarten cruise booked!

[Denny01]

31 minutes ago, Host Anne said:

 

TFree is correct.  Celebrity is not allowing guests to book inside nor oceanview cabins on the Millennium cruises this summer.  You could only book a veranda or higher.  That was announced prior to their opening reservations.

Yup, and when that was announced, I thought about back last year when those stuck on cruise ships and had inside/OV cabins and were restricted to their cabins were going stir crazy. So I thought maybe the reason was a kind of prep ‘just in case’. But other class ships sailing the same period out of Ft Lauderdale don’t have those SR’s closed out. So much for that idea..... 

 

But then again, Celebrity may fully understand that there is little chance of the cruses out of the US ports in June won’t be going?? So the Millinium is being prepped to be a good chance of going and Celebrity is taking precautions.

 

And of course all of this is speculative pure guesses.....you know, the stuff i get upset over others doing here!!

 

Den 

[Host Anne]

5 minutes ago, Denny01 said:

Yup, and when that was announced, I thought about back last year when those stuck on cruise ships and had inside/OV cabins and were restricted to their cabins were going stir crazy. So I thought maybe the reason was a kind of prep ‘just in case’. But other class ships sailing the same period out of Ft Lauderdale don’t have those SR’s closed out. So much for that idea..... 

 

But then again, Celebrity may fully understand that there is little chance of the cruses out of the US ports in June won’t be going?? So the Millinium is being prepped to be a good chance of going and Celebrity is taking precautions.

 

And of course all of this is speculative pure guesses.....you know, the stuff i get upset over others doing here!!

 

Den 

 

I decided last year when things went south for cruising that we'd never book an inside or even oceanview again.   After getting stuck in an elevator in a hotel a few years back I don't do well in completely enclosed places.

[LGW59]

13 minutes ago, Host Anne said:

 

I decided last year when things went south for cruising that we'd never book an inside or even oceanview again.   After getting stuck in an elevator in a hotel a few years back I don't do well in completely enclosed places.

YES YES YES, totally with you on this!  I am 61 YO, the past 12+ months have been very tough on us all for so many reasons, not because of lack of cruising either.  I have a motto, life is short, live it wide.  

[nocl]

1 hour ago, Ken the cruiser said:

 

Just talked with our PVP and he has extended our holds until next Tuesday as he hasn't received a definitive B2B answer yet from his manager. As a side note, he did talk with a person in the "cruise review" office that is getting a lot of complaints when she has to call folks to tell them they have to cancel their B2B cruise. I know, that doesn't sound promising. BUT, we're still hoping for a more positive result next week after the powers that be have time to think about it over the weekend. 🤞

nope does not sound promising.  Just booked flights for a two week land trip in Alaska.

[nocl]

3 hours ago, Yowat said:

 

Are you sure that Royal does not have the same restrictions on B2B cruises at this time?

[Ken the cruiser]

31 minutes ago, nocl said:

nope does not sound promising.  Just booked flights for a two week land trip in Alaska.

You're probably right as it's probably just wishful thinking on our part. Unless something changes by Tuesday, we'll probably continue to focus our July B2B2B on the Edge out of Ft Lauderdale. 

[nocl]

1 hour ago, Ken the cruiser said:

You're probably right as it's probably just wishful thinking on our part. Unless something changes by Tuesday, we'll probably continue to focus our July B2B2B on the Edge out of Ft Lauderdale. 

Considering that is well before the CDC order expiration, even if they were sailing I would not expect the 7 day maximum to change this early.

[Ken the cruiser]

42 minutes ago, nocl said:

Considering that is well before the CDC order expiration, even if they were sailing I would not expect the 7 day maximum to change this early.

If we can't do a B2B2B on the Edge, that's ok as we at least will be able to drive to/from the port if it continues to leave out of Ft Lauderdale. At the same time I don't remember CDC every mentioning passengers couldn't do a B2B cruise, just that the offered itineraries had to be no more than 7 days in length.

Edited March 27, 2021 by Ken the cruiser

[Von & John]

9 hours ago, Host Anne said:

 

Darn...I meant to add...I LOVE Talkeetna!  We were seriously considering an Alaska land vacation this summer before the cruise came along.  I'm genuinely concerned for all of our cruise friends that live there and make their living from cruise ship passengers.  

 

Most of the  businesses are open and operating.  There was tourism last year & more planned for this year...  You could still visit - take the cruise & head North to cool off 🙂

 

Thanks for the link to Gulmohars - will check it out next time we are there...

 

9 hours ago, Host Anne said:

He's a big Blanton's fan which you can barely get in the US any longer.  The store on St. Maarten has about five different Blanton's options (or they did when we were last there). They have a rather large selection of bourbons.  He also purchases some Irish whiskey here as well.  The only hassle is very carefully packing it in luggage to be checked.  🙂

 

The store is http://www.gulmoharsxm.com/  The Mahtani family are wonderful people!!!!

 

[Lastdance]

Many thanks to those of you who are forging ahead as cruises begin to set sail again.  As “cruising guinea pigs,” in this culture of Covid, you will provide a wealth of knowledge for those of us waiting until our cruises set sail.  Once again, thank you for sharing your concerns, information and excitement.  Cannot wait until I see and hear your posts and photos, as lives slowly move forward, opening the world for travel.

 

Bon Voyage...stay healthy and have a great time!

Edited March 27, 2021 by Lastdance

[redrocks07]

Has anyone thought to ask what the protocol will be if there is a positive antgen test result upon disembarkation? False positives are known to happenh with antegen tests. Will you be allowed to enter St Maarten? You won't be able to fly back to the US. Is the antigen test done on the ship or in the terminal? Will the person with the positive result then take a PCR test to confirm the result? I guess I would like to know the answer.

[Host Anne]

44 minutes ago, redrocks07 said:

Has anyone thought to ask what the protocol will be if there is a positive antgen test result upon disembarkation? False positives are known to happenh with antegen tests. Will you be allowed to enter St Maarten? You won't be able to fly back to the US. Is the antigen test done on the ship or in the terminal? Will the person with the positive result then take a PCR test to confirm the result? I guess I would like to know the answer.

 

Celebrity's Covid insurance that is included in the cruise fare if you book by May 31 outlines most of the protocols.  While it doesn't list complete specifics, it is clear that they have a plan in place.  You can read about it here:  https://www.celebritycruises.com/health-and-safety  You'll need to scroll down a bit to see the Covid insurance coverage.

 

The antigen test will be performed on the ship prior to disembarkation.

 

Maybe your travel agent can provide more specific details that you are looking for.

[Borntocruise22]

We are booked June 19, but flying in on the 17th and staying a few days after. I think before we cruise a lot of things will change and be finalized. We are just keeping a open mind when it comes to this trip. We did buy insurance that covers Covid. I booked the Oyster Bay Beach Resort before and after.  They do offer onsite PCR testing in addition to the airport offering it I believe. We are so looking forward to cruising. We miss it so much and can hardly wait!!

[lhsail]

21 minutes ago, Borntocruise22 said:

We are booked June 19, but flying in on the 17th and staying a few days after. I think before we cruise a lot of things will change and be finalized. We are just keeping a open mind when it comes to this trip. We did buy insurance that covers Covid. I booked the Oyster Bay Beach Resort before and after.  They do offer onsite PCR testing in addition to the airport offering it I believe. We are so looking forward to cruising. We miss it so much and can hardly wait!!

We are not going until 8/7. Also going a couple days early. Hope you will come back and post regarding your experience with testing, etc. Like you, I think it

will be different by the time we travel. 

[PTC DAWG]

44 minutes ago, Borntocruise22 said:

We are booked June 19, but flying in on the 17th and staying a few days after. I think before we cruise a lot of things will change and be finalized. We are just keeping a open mind when it comes to this trip. We did buy insurance that covers Covid. I booked the Oyster Bay Beach Resort before and after.  They do offer onsite PCR testing in addition to the airport offering it I believe. We are so looking forward to cruising. We miss it so much and can hardly wait!!

Just looked at Oyster Bay Resort...looks promising....thinking of going mid July....would make a good pre cruise place....

[Borntocruise22]

I booked through Expedia and contacted the Oyster Bay Resort through their website. They have offered pick-up and drop off at the airport. Of course there is a charge but that is with most resorts. We are staying there 2 days before and 2 days after. 

[Borntocruise22]

26 minutes ago, lhsail said:

We are not going until 8/7. Also going a couple days early. Hope you will come back and post regarding your experience with testing, etc. Like you, I think it

will be different by the time we travel. 

Maybe I’ll have the opportunity to post while traveling to give others some insight. I will post once back. I’m waiting to see if by June they relax some of the requirements.  🤞🤞

[PTC DAWG]

4 minutes ago, Borntocruise22 said:

I booked through Expedia and contacted the Oyster Bay Resort through their website. They have offered pick-up and drop off at the airport. Of course there is a charge but that is with most resorts. We are staying there 2 days before and 2 days after. 

A ride would be nice...I have only been to the beach area across from the port at St. Martin...this appears to be to the east and fairly close to the port also.  Prices seem reasonable too, even for beach front rooms...

Edited April 7, 2021 by PTC DAWG

[lhsail]

We booked at the Holland House downtown. We have stopped there several times for drinks when we’ve been in port so decided to give it a try. 

[SeaHunt]

Just in case you haven't read the other thread by Sunshine2000, she has been in St Maarten and has posted this about her experience traveling there re testing, etc.:

 

Sunshine2000 post# 26

"I just wanted to add some information from our experience(s) traveling to St Maarten from Florida.  We obtained the necessary PCR Covid test within the three day required period for travel.  These negative PCR test results we then downloaded to the stmaartenehas.com/application-form with all the necessary travel information they required, such as Airline and flight numbers, length of stay,  place of stay and payment of the required $30.00 for health insurance so that we could obtain the necessary Pre Approval form for our travel.  After submitting this document we received our "Electronic Health Authorization System "Authoriation Pre-Approved" documentation in approximately 20 minutes.  This document was checked by the airline during our physical check-in.

 

The airport and our flight was well managed for social distancing and all passengers wore their masks.  The flight attendants provided a non-alcoholic beverage and snack service.

 

Upon landing they have a ramp for passengers to walk to the tarmac where you are directed into the airport immigration area to present your three required documents. 1- Results of your PCR test,  2- St Maarten Authorization Pre-Approved document and  3- Passport.

 

While inside the immigration area of the airport there are many officials reminding you of what documents you need to prepare to show for entry.

 

We only had an approximately 20 minute wait, however, we talked with many others that experienced wait times of over 90 minutes.  The wait times differed due to the number of planes landing and the number of passengers.  Wheelchairs are available but they are limited in number.

 

We had prearranged a taxi for our pick-up although many are readily available. 

 

Overall, it was a great flight and an easy process.

 

I'll be happy to answer any questions anyone may have.

 

In addition, I'll be back to add information about our experience getting our Covid test on the island and the process to return back to the US."

 

 

[Arzeena]

22 hours ago, Borntocruise22 said:

We are booked June 19, but flying in on the 17th and staying a few days after. I think before we cruise a lot of things will change and be finalized. We are just keeping a open mind when it comes to this trip. We did buy insurance that covers Covid. I booked the Oyster Bay Beach Resort before and after.  They do offer onsite PCR testing in addition to the airport offering it I believe. We are so looking forward to cruising. We miss it so much and can hardly wait!!

Please can you post the name of the insurance co. that covers COVID? Thanks.

[Borntocruise22]

We booked through aardy.com which is aarp travel insurance but it may insure any age. It covers 100% refund Covid and 150000 medical and 1 million med evac - not too expensive. 

[Host Anne]

On 3/26/2021 at 6:56 PM, nocl said:

nope does not sound promising.  Just booked flights for a two week land trip in Alaska.

If we can't cruise, I'm so happy to see you supporting Alaska with a land trip.  We've thought about doing the same.  They are in desperate need of our support, too.  Have a wonderful time!

[Arzeena]

23 minutes ago, Borntocruise22 said:

We booked through aardy.com which is aarp travel insurance but it may insure any age. It covers 100% refund Covid and 150000 medical and 1 million med evac - not too expensive. 

Thanks.

[Host Anne]

I wanted to share the information from Celebrity's website on the Covid-19 Assistance program they are offering if you book by May 31, 2021.  I'm not sure you need additional insurance that covers Covid if your cruise is booked before May 31.  Click the link and then scroll down the page to read about their Covid-19 Assistance:

 

https://www.celebritycruises.com/health-and-safety